Excerpt:
Her face rose up to stare at him, a look close to bewilderment shining
from her wet eyes. “Why should that bother you? Why should a man
touching me bother you?”
Trapped, he thought, trapped by his misspoken words. And it hurt.
Charlene had always been the one woman he could say anything and
everything to, the only woman he’d allowed in his mind. Until she’d
started dating Jeremy, until one hot summer’s night when he’d caught the
two of them making love in his parents' kitchen.
He would never forget the look of rapture closing her eyes tight.
Stop thinking about that. The force of the memories jerked his hand
from her. He stepped back, but not before he spied another glimmering of
unshed tears building in her eyes.
“You never wanted to touch me before.”
“You’re wrong.” Before he could silence the words, he added, “I’ve
always wanted you.”
“But you hate me.”
He needed to stop this now. He needed to force the conversation to
different ground, safer ground. If she ever found out the true reason
he’d left her two years ago, only weeks after his brother’s funeral,
she’d never be able to forgive him.
“Tell me the truth.” A tentative hand landed on his arm. “I need to
know that truth.”
No, the truth is the last thing you need.
“Mace?”
He needed to change the subject―and quickly. The plane! “Pam was
right.”
Her back went rigid at the female name.
“She told me and Billy you crashed the plane.” He ignored her
astonished look and bent down to stare at the dented wing tip. “Looks
like I’ve a mess to fix up here.”
Her temper flared. “No, Hamilton. I have a mess to fix, not you.”
“You?” He was being unfair, and he knew it, but he needed to stop her
tears. If she cried, he’d be lost. He hadn’t returned to Kodiak after
all this time just to get her to cry. He wanted her smile. Anger would
do.
“Yeah, right, like a woman can fix this,” he said, placing his hand on
the damaged wing, “good enough to fly it back to Kodiak.”
“Why you―” She smothered her harsh words. “I can’t talk to you now.”
She glared at him before she turned and raced toward the safety of the
clinic.
At least the hint of tears had left her eyes, replaced by more violent
emotions.
Unfortunately, even filled with that McIntire exasperation, the woman
affected him way too much.
